NIGERIA PHOTO DIARY!!

Hi lovely readers,

Welcome back to my blog and to another travel post from me. Today I am sharing pictures from my trip to Nigeria. This pictures were taken while attending my friends traditional marriage. I marvelled about Nigeria's culture in my previous post here.

Today I will document the reasons as to why I personally love travelling. I love travelling for two reasons: (1) the world perspective and (2)a breathing moment.

I read an article on how having a world perspective makes for a well rounded human being. This couldn't be further from the truth. I now have that patience for different perspectives and I can definitely say I truly appreciate who I am as an individual and my culture in general.

I also love travelling for a breathing moment - If there is one thing I can safely say: is that when you are in your late twenties and not married, the public takes it upon themselves to remind you that the clock is ticking. At some point its endearing but in other instances its stressful. So if I can get away just from this stress for a second, well why not?

Thanks for stopping by.

Love;

Aika!

Pink Wedding

Hey lovely readers,

Welcome back to my blog. It's been a minute but I am back, I hope I can control my crazy schedule and blog more frequently. 

Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending one of my closest friend's wedding in Nigeria. I have to say; Nigerian weddings are on a different level. There was no moment of boredom and no - long speeches. The wedding ceremony was filled with lots of dancing, drinking and lots of joloff rice. I am so happy I attended the wedding despite my crazy work schedule.

I have to commend Nigeria for preserving its culture (from the foods, the dress codes, the language and even the way the carry themselves - its so unique and organic), something my beautiful motherland could really improve on.

For this occasion, I wore an off the shoulder pink dress and black sandals - a very cliché colour for the month of October but it did fit the bill. I really wanted to wear the aso-ebi dress code but I was pressed on time (I will probably wear the aso-ebi in the next Nigerian wedding I will have the pleasure of attending!!!).

Till the next time, thank you so much for stopping by.

Love;

Aika

Mental Strength:

Hi lovely readers;

Welcome back to my blog. It has been a minute since I had the energy and will power to write a blog post. 

Toadys' post will be wordy but I promise you it will be worth your time. 

I came across the term Mental Strength a month ago as I was searching through the Internet. This topic was so exciting to me because often times, I have the physical energy to do productive work but I lack the motivation or the push to accomplish anything. In other words, my mental strength has been so low but ever since I started the mental strength exercises as suggested in this article, I have been so productive. 

So what is mental strength?

Mental Strength is the ability to regulate your emotions, manage your thoughts and behave in a positive manner, despite your circumstances. In other words, its the mental ability to do productive work even if the circumstances are against you. 

 Below are three strategies that will help you develop mental strength:

1 Define what mental strength means to you. 

Everyone of us have different goals and requirements in life. Mental strength to me would mean being able to complete all my to do's prior to watching some videos on YouTube. So determine what mental strength means to you and be true to who you are. 

PS: Can you imagine what mental strength would mean to Serena Williams or Beyonce? 

2. Build your mental strength on small physical wins. 

Mental strength is like a muscle. You need to work on your mental strength daily for growth and development. If you haven't pushed yourself in thousand small ways, your mental strength will wilt when things get really difficult. 

3. Mental Strength is about your habits not motivation. 

Mental strength is not about getting an incredible dose of inspiration or motivation. It's about building the daily habits that allow you to stick to a schedule and overcome challenges and distractions over and over again. In order to develop mental strength, the key ingredient is consistency. Mentally strong people develop systems that help them focus on important stuff regardless of how many obstacles life puts in front of them.It's the habits that form the foundation of the mental strong people and ultimately set them apart. 

Thank you for stopping by. 

Xo-xo:

Aika!

Denim Ways

Hey lovely readers,

Welcome back to my blog. 

The one thing I hate about being a corporate lady, is the "no denim" dress code. But whats the point of rules, if you don't find a way to break them? I always cheat on the denim dress code with a denim shirt. For starters, it can be argued whether it is denim or not. And secondly, well I just love denim and I miss wearing it on weekdays...(hahaha, what an excuse). 

Right now I am thinking of any denim item (other than denim bottoms) that I can sneak into my office dress code. Any ideas my lovely readers?

Once again, thanks for stopping by.

Xo-xo;

Aika!

Back to fitness!

Hi lovely readers,

Welcome back to my blog. It looks like I having been stumbling with some of my 2015 goals including my fitness goals. But, as Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, "The greatest glory in living lies not in never failing, but rising every time we fall". I just raised from my fitness failure and I am sure by the end of the year, I will be back into my desired fitness goal.

Below are a few tips on how I get back into my fitness routine:

1. Workout first thing in the morning

I am usually or feign being busy during the day, the last thing I want to do at the end of the day is start running like a lunatic. So I have opted for early morning workouts instead. Additional benefits of starting my day workouts include feeling energized throughout the day. 

2. Find a workout partner. 

I am definetly not a "self-motivated to workout" kinda person, so I always find a partner to workout with. Am currently working out with my neighbour who doesnt even know my name (crazy, I kow). If you have a workout partner, you will feel motivated to be there each single day. The key is to find a workout partner who is in the same level as you. 

3. Stay psyched

Two things psych me up each day that I workout. The first is cute and comfy outfits that give me the confidence to hit the ground the minute I leave my house. The second is a promise to indulge in my favorite hobby i.e Shopping. I have promised myself that I will indulge and get these training shoes (this or this), should I attain my fitness goal by the end of the year. 

I would love to hear your tips on how you get back to fitness after months and months of procrastination. 

Once again thanks for stopping by.

Xo-xo;

Aika!

MY BEAUTY ESSENTIALS

Hey lovely readers,

I hope you have all had a great week. Today, I am sharing some of my most important beauty items I use on daily basis. I have other beauty items that I use from time and again but these one are most important one. I use these products religiously and help my face stay in shape and skin glow even without make up. 

1. Face wash

I think finding the right face wash for an oily/combination skin tone is as hard as finding the right boyfriend (hahahhahaha). I have tried a number of face wash but each one has an almost catastrophic impact. Some made my skin lighter, some dried up my skin so badly and some made my skin oilier. But ever since I started using this Body-shop face wash, life has become bearable. I use it twice daily and it removes all the oil and dirt without changing anything. 

2. Moisturiser.

The funny part is I didn't know what a moisturiser was till a few years ago. I used my good old Vaseline and yes, it left my skin shining like a disco bulb. A friend of mine suggested that I try using a moisturiser. Life has since then changed. I don't have to apply powder or any make up on most days and my skin doesn't look shiny. 

3. Lip balm

If there is one beauty item that every lady has used from childhood, it would be a lip balm. I have been using the Vaseline lip balm for over ten years and I probably will use it forever. This lip balm just works wonders especially on those windy months where the lips dry up so badly. I sometimes try to be all fancy and switch it up with Calvin Klein lip balm. Because of the cost element of the Calvin Klein one, I use it one in a week or on days that I am going make up free. 

4. Eye brow pencil 

I am not yet a pro at doing my eyebrows but I have realised that working on your eyebrows make such a difference. It frames the face and one appears with a cleaner face if the eyebrows are filled. Because am not a pro, I tend to use this Bella Pierre powder eye brow kit as it's easier for me to apply and it can be easily wiped off in case I make mistakes. 

5. Body lotion and oil

My body skin is quite dry and I have to use lots of lotion or else I end up as dry as crazy. I prefer the Nivea Express Hydration lotion for daily use. On the windy months, I often mix the lotion with Bio-Oil. Sometimes when I want to smell a certain type of way, I use the Body-shop body butter and the smell is just divine. 

I like to hear what are your beauty essentials (I might be missing out on some of the good products out there). 

Once again, thank you so much for stopping by. 

Xo-xo;

Aika!

The graduate

 Hey lovely readers,

I just recently graduated and trust me, I never been this excited about my life. To some people this ain't a big deal but to me, this is a MAJOR deal. I have gone through the day in my mind, over and over and over again. This is one of the highlights of 2015 for sure. Ooh am so grateful and feel very blessed. 

Here I am sharing a few pics from the day. 

         Pictured with fellow graduates. These three gentleman played a huge role in my academic life; from the late night group discussions to sharing pizza at the graduate centre, we had to survive. 

         My friend Stanley, who recently got married showed up with the wife-y and it was double celebration.

       My friend ODO made an appearance. We worked together back in the day and I inspired him to go for his masters (yes, I am bragging a little :) )

      I get teary-eyed when I think of how far we have come. My bff came all the way from Scotland. I have never felt more loved an appreciated. 

    This crazy lady just brought it on. Had so much fun hanging out with her. She brought all the fun and laughs.

My mama and my sister were there to share this wonderful day with me. (Side note ladies, next time dont try to upstage the lady of the hour. Thank you!)

OK, let me just chill now and get on to the next one. Special thanks to all who supported, prayed for and wished me well. I hold a special place in my heart for you all. 

Thanks for stopping by.

Xo-xo; 

Aika!